1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a foundation system for receiving the load of a housing or housing module of a self-service machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In practice, self-service machines are usually erected on a base that is sufficiently flat or oriented horizontally as far as possible. It is primarily in indoor areas that floor spaces are available on which self-service machines can be erected with relatively few problems. In such cases, the machine housing may have a pedestal-type base element which sits directly on the respective floor covering. Machine housings are also known which have adjusting feet which can be screwed in and out relative to the machine housing as necessary in order to obtain a stable and as exact as possible vertical orientation of the machine housing if the building floor is inclined or in the case of other surfaces with a certain inclination or unevenness. Such adjusting feet are supported by means of support surfaces, which have a surface area at most the size of a hand which sits on the respective floor surface. In indoor situations where the floor usually has a sufficient load-bearing capacity, such adjusting feet have proved to be effective. Outdoors, however, such adjusting feet are only suitable under certain circumstances. Even then, however, when it comes to installing machine housings of relatively large volume outdoors, such adjusting feet soon reach their limits from numerous points of view. In the case of larger self-service machines, especially of the type based on storage compartment systems requiring relatively large-volume or large storage surfaces or safety deposit machines used for the receiving and collection of goods or postal items, such height-adjustable adjusting feet are only satisfactory to a certain degree. Another problem resides in the fact that the machines should not only stand vertically upright to a certain degree but must also be appropriately secured to prevent them from tipping over. Especially in the case of machines with a relatively short depth and high height, this is a major problem. Simple adjusting feet underneath the housing base surface are not well suited to this purpose and they need to be appropriately anchored in the ground underneath, for which purpose it is common practice to use screw-in anchors. This being the case, concrete foundations are cast into the ground in many cases, in order to provide a sufficiently flat and stable base for such compartment systems and storage machines. In this respect, in situations where the ground does not provide sufficiently strong support, the top layers of earth are removed and a foundation slab of concrete is constructed on site. An appropriate concrete shuttering is erected before introducing the concrete on site. Once the liquid concrete has been cast and sufficiently hardened, the concrete shuttering is then removed. Once the concrete has finally hardened and the concrete foundation slab has sufficient load bearing capacity, it is then possible to erect a corresponding self-service machine on it and anchor it to the concrete foundation integrated in the floor sub-structure. These foundation systems are complex and only satisfactory in certain situations. In particular, these concreting works carried out during the course of erecting a machine require appropriately experienced tradesmen as well as a lot of time-consuming work directly at the site where a machine is to be erected, as well as additional waiting time for the concrete to set, and only then is it possible to actually erect the machine. Furthermore, any subsequent modification to, extension of or removal of the foundation is not possible or is so but would involve a considerable amount of resources.
DE 44 27 653 A1 describes a miniature bank for cash transactions, which miniature bank is anchored on an underground reinforced concrete foundation to prevent it from being torn out. This miniature bank for cash transactions comprises a strong room with an automatic teller machine, a safety cabinet with safety devices and a cabin. A miniature bank of this type is used as a so-called City Cash Point, which is intended to make the dispensing of cash much easier for bank customers. There are aspects of this miniature bank which relate to security in terms of criminal actions or manipulations with a view to theft. In order to address these requirements, it is proposed that the underground reinforced concrete foundation of the miniature bank should have a main foundation footing projecting out from the square-shaped main body, which is embedded in the ground. This reinforced concrete foundation can be supplied as a finished element and the foundation footing is formed on its foundation slab. Formed in this foundation slab is a hollow cylindrical foundation shuttering, provided as a means of receiving localized concrete filling in order to form a stable foundation block. Disposed on the top face of this reinforced concrete foundation is a base plate of reinforced concrete which is anchored to the reinforced concrete foundation disposed underneath. The safety cabinet and the cabin of the miniature bank are secured to this base plate. An angle iron frame may also be disposed on the top edge of the reinforced concrete foundation, for example screwed to it. A base frame with adjustable screws is inserted in this peripherally extending angle iron frame to accommodate the base ftlineplate and adapt to the ground level. Alternatively, the reinforced concrete foundation and its foundation block may have a peripherally extending holder recessed into the concrete body for the reinforced concrete base plate. Mutually connecting and anchoring the reinforced concrete foundation, the base plate seated on it and the elements of the miniature bank is intended to result in a foundation which satisfies the security requirements of a credit institution from a construction point of view. Although this design results in a foundation that is secure in terms of attempts at manipulation and is relatively well protected against criminal attempts to remove it, the fact that the reinforced concrete foundation has to be embedded underground requires excavation work, which brings with it a great deal of effort and in particular requires special care, especially in city environments, as regards supply lines laid in the earth, in particular pipework, cables and such like.
DE 100 07 932 C1 describes a height-adjustable base for cash dispensers or similar devices with security issues. This base is provided in the form of a sheet metal construction and affords sufficient stability for the device seated on it due to an anchoring system comprising ground screws or ground anchors. In particular, a ground frame unit is provided, which can be secured on the ground by means of screws or other anchoring means. Disposed on this ground frame unit to be anchored to the ground is a support unit, which is telescopically adjustable in height relative to the ground frame unit. The height of the device supported on the base can be adjusted due to the fact that the ground frame unit and support unit can be telescopically adjusted relative to one another. Without a multiple anchoring of the ground frame unit to the underlying ground, this base element made from a metal frame construction imparts satisfactory stability to the device mounted on it, in particular a cash dispenser, but only under certain conditions.
DE 202 16 236 U1 also describes a base for cash dispensers, which base is made continuously from metal frame parts and sheet metal components. In particular, this base comprises a support plate, on which a corresponding machine is to be retained, and a plurality of supporting feet, which hold the support plate at the desired distance above a floor-mounted base frame. The supporting feet are designed so that they can be mounted on the base frame in different dispositions or orientations to enable the support plate to be positioned at different levels relative to the base frame. This base construction also has to be anchored in the floor in order to provide the most solid support possible for cabinet-type machines. To this end, a plurality of orifices or bores are provided in the base frame as a means of receiving floor screws and for securing the base frame to the floor.
JP 57 140429 A describes a concrete foundation, which is anchored in the ground or earth and projects relatively far above the ground level, and at least one upwardly projecting anchoring screw is provided on its top face. An iron plate is provided on the top face of this concrete foundation, which is provided as a means of supporting devices. In order to obtain a horizontal orientation of this iron plate, at least one adjusting means is provided between the bottom face of the iron plate and the top face of the concrete foundation, in particular an adjusting screw in conjunction with at least one nut. A horizontal orientation of the iron plate relative to the concrete foundation can be obtained by means of this adjusting means. The anchoring screw extending through the iron plate, which is anchored in the concrete foundation, prevents the iron plate from being lifted off the concrete foundation. Once the leveling operation has been completed, the gap between the iron plate and concrete foundation is filled with a non-compressible injected material, in particular with an injected mortar, so that the adjusting means is permanently encased in this injected material. Although this design results in a base that is stable and protected against manipulation, the concrete foundation also has to be cast in a hole in the ground in order to ensure sufficient stability and a low standing height. Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the adjusting means is embedded in the concrete after leveling and it is therefore no longer possible to make a subsequent adjustment or dismantle the system without causing damage.
An approach known from WO 2005/028340 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,527 A is to prepare the prefabricated slab foundation from concrete, comprising several slab elements placed one against the other. These slab elements are lifted by mechanical lifting means such as cranes for example, at the respective erection site. The individual slab elements are then connected by means of various connecting elements to form a one-piece foundation slab of concrete. The top face of this multi-part foundation slab is then joined to form a single-piece concrete body and is then ready to accommodate small buildings or similar storage objects. For example, tanks and additional equipment for storing and supply chemical substances can be erected and installed on it. However, these constructions are not suitable for erecting self-service machines, which are of a size ranging from box structures to small rooms.